Letters to the Editor: Stuck in a Limbo

Stuck in a Limbo

While the 92% voter turnout in the first phase of the Bengal poll is promulgated as a desire among the citizens for a change, this is where the claims have bypassed the reality somewhere. With millions of names deleted from the voter list and millions still standing for adjudication, voting in West Bengal now is no less than a crusade to remain included rather than a process for selecting whom to govern. It is not about who will win here; it is about who can vote. From the gherao of judiciary officers to the CM's interference in the probe, the election season of Bengal remained more charged than anywhere else in the nation.

But what is left behind are lakhs of people unheard, standing in the queues for reinstating their names in the electoral rolls. With the fear of becoming a squatter in the same land where one was born and grew up, voting in Bengal today is less an exercising of a democratic right and more a way to prevent exclusion. The broader question here is can a process that defenestrated millions in a single stroke and has put the fate of those affected in a limbo be able to build back the trust in it? Since an administrative exercise for recalibrating the voter list of a populous state like West Bengal requires appropriate time, it should have been done in a way that reduces error and doubt. Moreover, when the size of grievances is as humongous as millions because of such a hasty exercise, meeting them is not a one-week game.

When an administrative necessity risks causing mass disenfranchisement, then the process of correction not only demands immediacy but also the assurance that everyone with bona fide documents will get included.

Kabir Ahmed Saikia

Rajabari, Jorhat

Bamboo: pride of NE

During his recent weekly 'Maan Ki Baat' radio programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly highlighted the NE bamboo sector. The news article headline, 'NE bamboo sector giving new impetus to employment: Modi', has drawn our attention. It also gives us immense pleasure, as bamboo is the bread and butter of the people of the region. The PM has urged the people of the country, especially those of the Northeast, to build the future with bamboo. It paves the way in building communities, fosters innovation and nurtures a sustainable future. The North East Cane and Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC) has been playing a pivotal role in empowering communities and cultivating sustainability. There is now an urgent need for it to strengthen traditional bamboo artisan clusters by enhancing market access, modernising bamboo products and linking them with digital and retail ecosystems in the North Eastern Region. There is also need for installation of machines for processing of bamboo and supply of bamboo products and construction of a tissue culture laboratory building, etc. Only then can the NE become like 'Ashtalakshmi', not only for people of the NE but for the whole country. Bamboo was once viewed as a burden, but now it is considered a blessing for the people of the region, as it opens doors of new employment, business and innovation. Let us change our mindset towards bamboo, as it is gradually going to upgrade the lifestyle of the people of NE.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati